Jared Leto to star in The Outsider

Jared Leto has signed up to star in post-WWII Japan action thriller 'The Outsider'

Jared Leto has signed up for action thriller 'The Outsider'.

The actor -who won an Oscar for 'Dallas Buyers Club' - will take on the lead role in the post-WWII Japan movie which tells the story of an imprisoned American soldier who is released with some help from his cellmate, who is a member of the yakuza (organised crime syndicate).

After his release he must repay his debt as he finds himself caught up in Japan's criminal underworld.

The movie, written by Andrew Baldwin and directed by Martin Zandvliet, is set to begin filming later this year.

Meanwhile, Jared will soon be seen on the big screen in 'Suicide Squad', where he plays The Joker, and previously compared his preparation to that of an actor getting ready to take on Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.

Speaking about following in the footsteps of stars including Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, he said: "The work that's been done on this character by so many people before me has been so impactful, so incredible, so much fun, so profound, so risky, that it's a very special thing to be asked to take on that responsibility... You just knew you had to do something different. You had to make it your own. That happens all the time. Whether you're a composer working on a piece of music that was written a century ago, or you're an actor on stage, reinterpreting a play, it's very common these days. Directors take on great works of cinema, actors reinterpret roles, that's been going on for a great deal of time. From 'Scarface' to 'Hamlet'. In some ways it's really interesting to reinterpret, redefine."